Flea, roach, ant, and other crawling insect infestation in human dwelling areas and business areas is not only a nuisance, but can also be the cause of public health concerns, since such insects have been known to carry certain diseases. For example, cockroaches are among the oldest living forms of life on our planet, are remarkable survivors, can go weeks without food or water and have adapted to conditions in nearly every environment imaginable. Common American cockroaches, such as the Oriental, the brown-banded, the smokey brown, and the most wide-spread, the German cockroach, are known to transmit at least 13 human diseases, including typhoid dysentery hepatitis allergies and leprosy.
There are many known pesticides used to combat fleas, roaches, ants and other crawling insects and, for the most part, these known insecticides are effective at killing live adult insects present in dwelling or business areas when properly used. However, there is no single insecticide pesticide, or treatment method using an insecticide that is capable of killing and eliminating all stages of the flea and roach life cycles. Thus, the insect infestation problem may recur several days to several weeks after such treatment. Further, in many instances, proper preparation is not performed prior to treatment, and insect hiding places such as cracks, crevices, voids and other unforeseen areas are often missed by the insecticide applicator, and often there is no timely follow-up treatment.
Most insecticides are sold as liquid formulations which can be sprayed, dry powders which are dispersed on the surfaces of the area to be treated, baited traps, adhesive-type traps and fogging bombs, commonly known as "flea bombs" which release an insecticide as a fog or mist (total release bombs). However total release bombs often do not reach areas where insects hide and moreover, they may be expensive to use, since a bomb is usually only effective in one room, and often they must be used more than once to be totally effective. Many common insecticides sold as fog sprays are messy, and the active ingredient is relatively weak. Powders are difficult to apply properly since if the powder contacts moisture, such will harden and thus no longer adhere to the insects. Moreover, powders are unsightly and even hazardous in certain areas, While adhesive-type or glue traps are excellent for monitoring insect population levels, such traps only work if the insect actually enters the device or trap. In many instances, insect infestation remains after treatment, and the insects may also become resistant to the chemical insecticides. Accordingly, few known insecticides or treatment methods are marketed with a claim to totally eliminate insect infestation from the dwelling or business area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an insect elimination kit which can effectively achieve total elimination of fleas, roaches, ants, and other crawling insects from a confined area by following the method for its use described in detail hereinbelow, by concentrating on effectively killing all stages of the flea and roach life cycles during treatment to prevent recurrence of infestation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insect elimination kit and method for its use which is made specifically for consumer usage and application, resulting in a more economical treatment method since no professional pest control operators are required.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an insect elimination kit which conveniently contains all of the components necessary to achieve total elimination of fleas, roaches, ants, and other crawling insects in one easy-to-handle package, which also contains instructions for its method of use as described hereafter.
The above objects of the present invention can be attained by a kit for eliminating fleas and other crawling insects from a confined area comprising a container filled with a residual insecticide, most preferably a 0.5% chlorpyrifos formulation, an adjustable spray dispenser for this container, an aerosol container filled with a high-strength flushing agent, most preferably a 1.07% pyrethrins formulation, a standard fogging nozzle for dispensing the flushing agent from the aerosol container, an additional fogging nozzle having a long, thin tubular extension for spraying the flushing agent in cracks, crevices and voids in the area to be treated where insects, particularly roaches and ants, may live or hide, one or more white monitoring insect trapping devices having glue on at least one surface thereof, and an information sheet explaining how to use the contents of the kit to achieve total flea and insect elimination from the area, wherein the kit components are packaged within a secure, portable container. The insect elimination kit may also contain a pair of polyethylene gloves for protection during application of the insecticide and flushing agent.
Where the kit is to be used particularly to eliminate roaches and ants, the kit further contains about three to five baited insect traps for added protection and effectiveness.
For eliminating fleas and other crawling insects from the confined area, the components of the above described kit are used in the following sequence of steps:
(a) thoroughly cleaning the area to be treated;
(b) spraying the area with an effective insecticidal amount of a residual insecticide: where fleas are particularly sought to be eradicated, special attention should be payed to spraying floors and carpets;
(c) fogging the area with a flushing agent containing an effective insecticidal amount of pyrethrins, including optional fogging, if necessary, using a fogging nozzle having a long, thin, tubular extension to allow the flushing agent to penetrate into cracks, crevices and similar voids in the confined area where fleas or insects may live or hide;
(d) after vacating the area to allow the residual insecticide and flushing agent to dry, strategically placing at least one white monitoring flea or insect trapping device having glue on at least one surface thereof in the area to detect the presence of any live fleas or other crawling insects: and
(e) after a period of about three or more days, selectively reapplying the flushing agent as necessary to portions of the area where the monitoring device or visual sightings have detected flea or insect life.
Where the above-described kit is to be used particularly for roaches or ants, and contains the additional baited insect traps, the same method as described above particularly for fleas is used, but the fogging nozzle with the tubular extension must be used in the fogging step, and during the spraying step with the residual insecticide, particular attention should be paid to spraying baseboards, cracks and crevices. Further, after the flushing agent and residual insecticide are allowed to dry, the baited traps are also strategically placed throughout the area, and after a period of several days, the flushing agent is selectively reapplied as necessary to portions of the area where the monitoring device or visual sightings have detected roach or ant life. Crack and crevice residual insecticide spraying treatment should be repeated, if necessary, after about 14-20 days.
The insect elimination kit and method for its use described above have proven to be extremely effective, even in heavy flea and roach infestation areas, in achieving total insect elimination when used in accordance with the precise sequence of steps described herein.